Stay and Rest Awhile

My wife and I recently took a walking tour in Japan past many picturesque temples and gardens, often racking up 30,000 steps or more. On one longer excursion, though, we were grateful to reach the village and find a little café serving okonomiyaki—a kind of street food. The bench outside this crowded hole-in-the-wall invited us to stay and rest awhile, reminding me of Christ’s words to his disciples: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Jesus knows that this life comes with its own weariness and burdens, so he taught us how to find our rest in him. As God the Son become man, he shows us how to keep our focus in a world of demands. Still, I’ve learned the hard way, often when my health or relationships suffer, that the work of ministry requires rest. I’ve had to practice saying “No” in order to say “Yes” to what is better.

The Priority of Rest

The believer’s foremost priority is to find our rest in God, like “Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (Luke 10:39). Mary said “No” to housework and entertaining, so she could sit and rest with Jesus.

Yet Martha, her sister, “was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me’” (v. 40). Martha clatters her cooking vessels around the kitchen as she chops up vegetables. She sweeps and scrubs like a whirling dervish, while Mary just sits there. So, Martha urges the Lord to take her side and guilt her sister into serving. Yet Jesus tenderly replies, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things” (v. 41). I imagine Jesus explaining, “Martha, you are choked out by the cares of this world. You have too much on your plate and have also taken other people’s plates. You have not set right priorities and you seek to do too much. Instead, say ‘No’ to all the many things that trouble you and join your sister at my feet.”

Many in today’s fast-paced society have lost the art of sitting quietly with Jesus. We are not so much occupied with hospitality and housekeeping, but rather, one major distraction is the ever-encroaching technology in our lives. Technology is not inherently evil as it provides us many benefits, but any tool can be twisted by self-interest. By increasing our access to information, it increases our workload. It never leaves us alone until we click ourselves to death in our desire to stay connected. We’re driven to constantly know what others are thinking and we share our lives with thousands of our closest “friends.” Yet sadly, this busyness keeps us too preoccupied to properly examine our hearts (Prov. 4:23).

A simple idea for saying “No” to the busyness of life is to unplug from your devices. Could you part from your phone or last three days without checking email? Do you ever binge-watch your favorite shows or immerse yourself in video games? Would you be embarrassed to count the hours you spent online this week? We don’t realize how tied we are to tech until we step away for a time.

Consider a few practical suggestions for saying “No” to your devices. First, set aside quiet hours or quiet zones—periods of each day or places technology is banned. At dinner, for example, silence all your phones and keep them out of sight. Don’t bring devices into bed or check your socials during Sunday worship. Certain portions of your life should be kept sacred from the constant noise. Put away screens even to memorize Scripture or to use a prayer app. Andy Crouch offers some ideas in The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place. So, try to unplug this week and see how it affects you.

Second, travel back in time. Practice traditional forms of entertainment and social interaction: Go for a walkabout in nature. Read a good book or memorize a poem. Meet a friend face-to-face. Take up gardening or knitting or other such activities which send you back in time.

Third, keep your eyes on eternity. You don’t need to get beeped and buzzed for every box score. It’s okay to let your emails pile up a bit. Remember, you’re an eternal being with greater purpose than the next post, the next “like,” or the next emoji on social media. It’s good to say “No” when you are saying “Yes” to so much better.

The Practice of Rest

Along life’s journey, stay and rest awhile. Recall how Jesus fell asleep in the bottom of a storm-tossed boat (Mark 4:38). He faced hunger and thirst like everyone else (3:20). And after an exhausting day of ministry, Jesus withdrew from the crowd to stop at the home of friends who prepared him a meal and a bed on which to sleep (Luke 10:38).

Rest is a precious gift from God, so take time off to observe the sabbath (Mark 2:27–28). Build healthy rhythms into your week as both work and rest are good when in their proper place (Col. 3:17). Three habits can help you keep the sabbath rest: worship, play, and sleep.

Prayerfully prepare your heart for weekly worship. Christians have traditionally sabbathed on Sundays as the day of our Savior’s resurrection (Matt. 28:1; Acts 20:7). So enjoy these extended times with Jesus as you come into his presence and listen to his teaching.

Play also allows you to enjoy your rest. So, have some fun with friends and start new hobbies. Eat meals together and delight in family. Don’t think of work when you’re not at work. Instead, labor well at the discipline of rest.

Lastly, receive your sleep as a gift from God who “gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2). Our Good Shepherd often makes us lie down like sheep in his green pastures, for he made us to depend on him (23:2). Peaceful sleep testifies, “God, I trust you. You’ve got this. You can handle these trials without my help.” In fact, God created man to spend a third of our lives in bed to reveal how we rely on him. So, let’s not boast in lack of sleep when perhaps the godliest thing we can do at such a time is to take a nap.

This week, try not to be busy about everything—just the right things. Stay and rest because it’s good for your soul. Stay and rest, so you can serve others more effectively. Stay and rest since you are not the Lord.